our blood at 7.59 a.m.

When life begins to form, the very first cell divides into two perfectly identical copies, which divide into two more copies that are identical too, and so on. Despite this, at a given time, one cell will become a brain cell, and another a blood cell. Though each of these cells has exactly the same genes, at one point during embryogenesis, they will specialise by using only the genes they need. It is one of the wonders of Nature.

a bowl of fresh air

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cellular abundance

CCNE1: This gene is involved in cell proliferation.

an Olympic medal?

EPOR: This gene codes for the EPO receptor, a hormone involved in producing red cells. Variations in this gene are associated with a high rate of red cells in the blood. Eero Mäntyranta, a Finnish athlete, has one of these particular variations of the gene and won a gold medal during the 1964 Winter Olympic Games. Did he benefit from it?